Near Blackheath, NSW
Distance: 6.8km
Duration: 2.5 hours
Today we explored Fortress Lookout and the well-hidden Dr Dark's cave. Although the kids alternated between 'I hate life' and 'bush walking is awesome', they did great on this very steep and scrubby track!
Heading along Mt Hay road we parked at a small parking area signposted as Fortress Ridge. Through a locked gate and up a steep rocky fire trail was Fortress Ridge Trail proper. At the end point of this track is a breathtaking vista, with the ground covered in scratchy low heath that slopes down gently -then all of a sudden you realise you're on the edge of a sheer drop, so don't let the kids run ahead on this bit!
There are magnificent views down into the Grose valley and down to your left in the picture below you can see the (smallish) Medusa falls which I believe flow into Arethusa canyon.
Backtracking from the lookout, keep your eyes peeled for the nondescript side trail to Darks Cave. No hints here, finding it is part of the adventure! It winds down steeply through exposed roots and small rocky shelves - Tyler wasn't a fan of this bit as his exposed legs were getting scratched to all get out... but will he wear pants? Never.
Holly surprisingly cheered up at this part of the trail and noted how hard it was going to be going back up... Richard and I exchanged glances but figured we'd press on; we'd got this far after all. As usual I was happy to carry Holly later if I needed to.
Once the track drops down into a damp forested saddle it's not quite as easy to follow but thankfully Richie was leading and paying close attention. There's some minor rock scaling where we had to crab downwards and then haul ourselves up again, but it was clear we were rounding the rocky outcrop and getting very close to the cave.
Through the initial room is the main chamber, the scale of which is just awesome - the roof of the overhang towers above us and the giant boulders from the rockfall are irresistible to Ty; they're perfect for parkour! At the far end a small waterfall drops neatly into a little creek.
Some of the history of the cave is still evident although a bit of googling confirms that things have slowly been taken over the years; older photos show much more bric a brac in the cave.
After a few snacks we steeled ourselves for the climb back out. It was hard going in patches with Holly on my back but she alternated between walking and being carried. The cries of 'my legs hurt' were totally justified, I could certainly feel my bum by the time we got to the top, and she has to take two steps for every one of mine! On the way up, she tells me I have superpowers. 'Oh,' I say, gasping for breath, 'would that be kid carrying superpowers?'
No, apparently my powers are kindness, cooking and sportsmanship. Go figure!
Back on Fortress Ridge trail, the open, sunny escarpment is the perfect warming spot for mountain dragons; we saw half a dozen from 10cm long up to about double that, soaking up the rays and generally not too fussed about our presence.
For the history buffs... Darks cave was found in the 30s by Dr Eric Dark and his wife Eleanor, and they used it for many decades as a family escape.
Dr Dark was the father of rock climbing not only in the Blue Mountains, but the state. One of the first doctors to head to France at the outbreak of WWI, where he won the Military Cross for “great gallantry and disregard of danger”, he moved to the mountains in the 20’s, forming the first ever climbing club in NSW.
Named the Blue Mountaineers - but dubbed the Katoomba Suicide Club by locals - they pioneered climbs on the Three Sisters, Narrowneck and in the Grose, as well as making famous first ascents of Belougerie and Crater Bluff in the Warrumbungles.
Eleanor Dark, who was also an active climber and bushwalker, was an iconic Australian author, publishing 10 novels as well as poems, essays and articles.
This cave was central to their story. They named it “Jerrikellimi” (a composite of their and their childrens’ names). During WWII Dr Dark, aged in his 50’s, joined the Volunteer Defence Corps, with the Army tasking him and five others to find spots in the mountains from which guerilla forces could harass occupying Japanese troops.
Years later he told a journalist he thought the task was futile, that the Japanese would invade shortly, and “I quite expected that after a short resistance I would die fighting a guerilla war in the Blue Mountains.”
Distance: 6.8km
Duration: 2.5 hours
Today we explored Fortress Lookout and the well-hidden Dr Dark's cave. Although the kids alternated between 'I hate life' and 'bush walking is awesome', they did great on this very steep and scrubby track!
Heading along Mt Hay road we parked at a small parking area signposted as Fortress Ridge. Through a locked gate and up a steep rocky fire trail was Fortress Ridge Trail proper. At the end point of this track is a breathtaking vista, with the ground covered in scratchy low heath that slopes down gently -then all of a sudden you realise you're on the edge of a sheer drop, so don't let the kids run ahead on this bit!
There are magnificent views down into the Grose valley and down to your left in the picture below you can see the (smallish) Medusa falls which I believe flow into Arethusa canyon.
Backtracking from the lookout, keep your eyes peeled for the nondescript side trail to Darks Cave. No hints here, finding it is part of the adventure! It winds down steeply through exposed roots and small rocky shelves - Tyler wasn't a fan of this bit as his exposed legs were getting scratched to all get out... but will he wear pants? Never.
Holly surprisingly cheered up at this part of the trail and noted how hard it was going to be going back up... Richard and I exchanged glances but figured we'd press on; we'd got this far after all. As usual I was happy to carry Holly later if I needed to.
Once the track drops down into a damp forested saddle it's not quite as easy to follow but thankfully Richie was leading and paying close attention. There's some minor rock scaling where we had to crab downwards and then haul ourselves up again, but it was clear we were rounding the rocky outcrop and getting very close to the cave.
The cave itself is a hollow in a huge overhang that has clearly been formed by a collapsed ceiling many moons ago. The first part of the cave is found after a tight squeeze through a gap; it opens into a natural room of sorts that has been used by generations of walkers and campers. We could smell the unmistakable smell of campfire smoke so we figured a group had been there earlier in the day.
The view out was not what I expected, I thought we might be higher up and that Dr Dark would have been looking down on his domain, but it feels more like being tucked away; nestled amongst the surrounding bush.
Through the initial room is the main chamber, the scale of which is just awesome - the roof of the overhang towers above us and the giant boulders from the rockfall are irresistible to Ty; they're perfect for parkour! At the far end a small waterfall drops neatly into a little creek.
Some of the history of the cave is still evident although a bit of googling confirms that things have slowly been taken over the years; older photos show much more bric a brac in the cave.
After a few snacks we steeled ourselves for the climb back out. It was hard going in patches with Holly on my back but she alternated between walking and being carried. The cries of 'my legs hurt' were totally justified, I could certainly feel my bum by the time we got to the top, and she has to take two steps for every one of mine! On the way up, she tells me I have superpowers. 'Oh,' I say, gasping for breath, 'would that be kid carrying superpowers?'
No, apparently my powers are kindness, cooking and sportsmanship. Go figure!
Back on Fortress Ridge trail, the open, sunny escarpment is the perfect warming spot for mountain dragons; we saw half a dozen from 10cm long up to about double that, soaking up the rays and generally not too fussed about our presence.
For the history buffs... Darks cave was found in the 30s by Dr Eric Dark and his wife Eleanor, and they used it for many decades as a family escape.
Dr Dark was the father of rock climbing not only in the Blue Mountains, but the state. One of the first doctors to head to France at the outbreak of WWI, where he won the Military Cross for “great gallantry and disregard of danger”, he moved to the mountains in the 20’s, forming the first ever climbing club in NSW.
Named the Blue Mountaineers - but dubbed the Katoomba Suicide Club by locals - they pioneered climbs on the Three Sisters, Narrowneck and in the Grose, as well as making famous first ascents of Belougerie and Crater Bluff in the Warrumbungles.
Eleanor Dark, who was also an active climber and bushwalker, was an iconic Australian author, publishing 10 novels as well as poems, essays and articles.
This cave was central to their story. They named it “Jerrikellimi” (a composite of their and their childrens’ names). During WWII Dr Dark, aged in his 50’s, joined the Volunteer Defence Corps, with the Army tasking him and five others to find spots in the mountains from which guerilla forces could harass occupying Japanese troops.
Years later he told a journalist he thought the task was futile, that the Japanese would invade shortly, and “I quite expected that after a short resistance I would die fighting a guerilla war in the Blue Mountains.”
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